Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of current arrangements for dividing maintenance responsibilities on trunk roads between National Highways and local authorities.

National Highways is responsible for the routine maintenance and renewal of the Strategic Road Network (SRN), and funding for this is provided through the third Road Investment Strategy, published in March 2026. The Department expects National Highways to work with local authorities on the upkeep of the network, including maintaining a safe and smooth interface for road users between local roads and the SRN.

On litter, responsibilities are split between National Highways and local authorities. National Highways is responsible for clearing litter on motorways and some trunk roads, and local authorities are responsible for litter collection on other trunk roads and their associated lay-bys in England. Where local authorities are responsible for litter collection, National Highways works in partnership with them to ensure that activities are coordinated where possible, including, for example, allowing authorities to collect litter when roads are closed for other planned maintenance work. The Government is also exploring options to give National Highways new powers as a litter enforcement authority when Parliamentary time permits.